The present invention relates to fitments and in particular to a spout fitment for a flexible package.
Fitments are often used to provide a pouring spout for containers formed of flexible films. It has heretofore been proposed to use a fitment/spout with a canoe-shaped base that serves to provide a smooth, gradual transition between the plies of film from which the package is to be formed and the pouring spout which is coaxial with the center of the fitment. Common wisdom taught that the fitment canoe section should be relatively rigid so as not to misshape the center spout section when the fitment is subjected to the heat and pressure needed to seal the package film to the fitment. This, in turn, required that the sealing jaws as well as the fitments be precisely sized to assure the formation of tight seals. Frequently it is necessary to attach the fitment with one set of sealing jaws and then seal the pouch film with a second different set of jaws. Unfortunately, in practice, fitments injection molded of polyethylene, polypropylene and the like often vary somewhat dimensionally during manufacture. Also, in time, the sealing jaws wear and such wear may not be uniform. As a result, during such package manufacturing, unreliable welds result and there is a failure to obtain consistent packages. This is counterproductive to the desired production rates for the packages formed utilizing such fitment attachment processes.
The attachment of such fitment is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/452,714 entitled “Method for Attaching Fitment at Longitudinal Fin Seal and Package Resulting Therefrom” filed on Dec. 2, 1999. A thin wall fitment is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/643,033 filed Aug. 21, 2000 entitled “Thin Wall Fitment for Spouted Pouch”. Other prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,340 entitled “Spout Assembly, Spout Assembly Manufacturing Apparatus and Package with Spout Assembly” issued on Jun. 15, 1999 to Uematsu; U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,471 entitled “Method for Securing Articles to Laminates” issued on Feb. 10, 1998 to Pape; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,434 entitled “Moisture Impervious Carton Having One-Piece Pouring Spout Sealed to Innermost and Outermost Surfaces” issued on Mar. 20, 1990 to Jones et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,381 entitled “Method and Means for Attaching Fitments to a Bag or Pouch on a Packaging Machine” issued on Jul. 15, 1975 to Christine et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,544 entitled “Flexible Container With Tubular Fitment And Method And Apparatus For Assembling Same” issued on Jan. 5, 1999 to Buchanan.